Alpuri
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Alpuri is the capital of Shangla District in the North-West Frontier Province of Pakistan. It is located at 34°53'60N 72°39'0E [1]
[edit] 2007 fighting
On 13 November 2007 militants of the Tehreek-e-Nafaz-e-Shariat-e-Mohammadi ("Movement for the Enforcement of Sharia") from neighbouring Swat were reported to have captured Alpuri district headquarters. This seems to have been part of a general push into Shangla District[2]. The local police fled without resisting the advancing militant force which, in addition to local militants, also included Uzbek, Tajik and Chechen volunteers.[3]
The militants vacated the town again on November 22/23, with government troops approaching. Fighting in Matta and Kabal areas of Swat and parts of Malakand continued, and the Alpuri area was by and large cut off from the outside. The militants' offensive was so unexpected that residents in Shangla were reporting food shortages, as they had no time to stock up on supplies.[2]
[edit] Footnotes
[edit] References
- Khan, Hameedullah (2007): Militants vacate Alpuri. The Dawn, November 24, 2007.
- Perlez, Jane & Khan, Ismail (2007): Militants Gain Despite Decree by Musharraf. New York Times, November 15, 2007.